Russia is facing "colossal threats" that mean it must continuously improve its nuclear weapons "shield," the chief of the state atomic energy agency warned.

"Now, in the current geopolitical moment, it is a time of colossal threats to the existence of our country," said Alexey Likhachev, director of Rosatom, on Thursday, August 21, Russian state news agency RIA reported.

"Therefore, the nuclear shield—it is also the sword—is a guarantee of our sovereignty [...] Today we understand that the nuclear shield in the coming years must only be improved," Likhachev said, originally in Russian.

Russia has the world's largest arsenal of nuclear weapons.

This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.

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